"Another Day, Four More Cultures..."

Last week we had the opportunity to hear four presentations on different cultures from around the World. The first presentation that we had was on Hispanic Canadians, and the presentation was very well delivered. The group told us about Hispanic family relationships, the ways that they deal with death, grief and loss, and about their gender roles and hierarchy. One of the things that I found interesting about the presentation was in the way that Hispanic Canadians care for the dead. According to the presentation, when someone in the family passes away, a loved one usually stays with the body to sure that they get the treatment that they deserve. This fascinates me, as I am not sure that I could do something like that when a loved one of mine passed away. I have also been to Mexico on vacation on two separate occasions, so I found the presentation very informative. I always wondered why the staff at the resorts would always be very close in proximity to both their co-workers and my family when communicating, but after this presentation, I discovered that this is normal part of their communication. Another aspect of Hispanic celebration that I really enjoyed hearing briefly about was Day of the Dead. Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated by many Hispanics around the world (including in Canada), and focuses on the gathering of friends and family to remember those who have passed away. I have always loved the artwork involved in this celebration, and actually want to have a Mexican Skull tattooed on me one day. I love the idea of having such a dark image like a skull decorated in bright designs and flower patterns that contrast. One day my followers …….. One day.

The second presentation that we heard was on Biracial Canadians, and my brother was a group member in this group. In reading their handout, I found out a lot of useful information that will help while working with clients from different parts of the world. I learned that cultural activities (both educational and recreational) are very effective strategies to use when working with Biracial Canadians, because this is a great way for them to continue practicing their culture, while giving you (as the counsellor) as opportunity to learn more about them. With so many language barriers and cultural differences in Canada, I can see why a number of Biracial Canadian children display so many “problematic behaviours” according to the group’s presentation. The group commented on the fact that biracial children often have poor academic achievement, poor social skills, negative attitudes towards adults, issues with social isolation, and aggressive behaviours towards peers. With so many stigmas around people from different countries, I can see why some of these children may have as many issues as the group said that they do. I know that if I was still a young child and a new student came to our school that was a different ethnicity from that of my own, I may have been cruel or teased them. Whether it be the result of the possible language barriers or just “fear of the unknown,” I may have been prejudice because of my lack of knowledge at that age. This is why educating young people on cultural diversity and teaching them about the importance of respect is so crucial in today’s society.

The third presentation that we heard was on African Canadians. The group did a very good job at presenting information on some of the history behind African History, some of their traditions and celebrations, the importance of art, music and dance, and some of the racism that they face regularly. When it came to the section on art, music, and dance, I related to one of the major annual celebrations that African Canadians have in Toronto every summer, and it is now clear to me that music and dance is definitely a major part of African culture. Caribana this year was sponsored by Scotia Bank, and ran from July 14^th till August 2^nd. Caribana offers a variety of Caribbean music, dance and cuisine, and this summer’s celebration was the 43^rd year that Caribana has shut down the streets of Toronto. I was at this year’s celebration, and my favourite parts of Caribana are the cuisine, and live shows. I have always loved spicy food, so Jerk Chicken and Jamaican Patties were a huge hit for me this summer.

The fourth and final presentation that we heard was on new Canadians, and this presentation amazed me. The group started the presentation off by talking about The Canadian Citizens Test, and had a sample test for the class to attempt at completing that really added to their presentation. The group asked us a couple of questions that were on the actually citizenship test, and I could not believe how hard they were to answer. I was born and raised in Canada, and I answered three of the six questions correctly, which is rather ridiculous. What is even more ridiculous to me is the fact that we are supposed to be such a free and accepting country for immigrant families, and yet we write a test that immigrants need to pass that is full of useless historical Canadian trivia. So what happens if a new Canadian does not know when the Canadian Pacific Railway was finished? Some of them probably weren’t even alive in the time that the railway was finished, so knowing this useless piece of trivia should not have any pull on whether or not they are Canadian. I think it would be interesting to have born and raised Canadians complete the test and see how they scored. These scores would just be out of curiosity sakes of course, as what are they going to do, deport us for not passing the “Canadian Citizens Test”? Yah right. But we can deny a new Canadian citizenship to our beautiful country unless they can? Give your heads a shake people. Stop placing so much cultural importance on the score of a test.